Evaporative cooler cabinet with water distributing means



Feb. 4, 1958 w. A. MARSHALL ET AL EVAPORATIVE COOLER CABINET WITH WATER DISTRIBUTING MEANS Filed May 9, 1955 W/W/am A Marsha/l Car/ V Alexander Ari/70f C /\e//er INVENTORS EvAPoRArrvE COOLER CABINET wrrrr WATER nrsnrmo MEANS William A. Marshall, Carl V. Alexander, and Arthur C.

Keller, Dallas, Tex, assignors to Dearborn Stove Company, Dallas, Tex.

Application May 9, 1955, Serial No. 507,081

4 Claims. (Cl. 299-58) This invention relates to evaporative coolers and it has particular reference to the water distributing means for such coolers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide, in an evaporative cooler cabinet, a means to insure uniform distribution and flow of water into the filter mats and, with this in view, to provide a water supply trough pivoted at its midsection for tilting displacement in the cabinet so that either end of the trough can be raised and lowered to level the same and thus correct conditions where the cabinet itself is not or cannot be mounted on a level plane.

Another object of the invention is to provide a water distributing trough for an evaporative cooler cabinet, one of which is suspended from the top of each of three louvered side panels of the cabinet by means of a bracket aflixed to the trough at its midsection and pivotally engaged at its upper end with the side panel, said bracket, in turn, being supported by a set screw which is movable in a horizontal slot in the panel below the pivotal engagement between the bracket and panel and which secures the trough in adjusted positions. Moreover, the trough is equipped with angular end plates, at least one of which carries a laterally extending pin slidable in an angular slot in the adjacent wall of the cabinet and by which the trough is manually moved to compensate for any unevenness in the cooler cabinet itself.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds when considered with the annexed drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of an evaporative cooler cabinet shown mounted in a window and reveals the type of cooler in which the invention is designed to functi-on.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the cooler cabinet showing the trough and adjusting means of the invention mounted therein.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the trough showing one of the water outlet openings therein, and

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the trough, partly in section, showing a slight modification in the pivotal suspension of the trough.

Continuing with a more detailed description of the drawing, reference numeral denotes generally an evaporative cooler cabinet of more or less conventional design. This type of cooler is usually mounted adjacent an opening, such as a window 11, and a duct 12 conveys air into the building after having been cooled by its passage through wetted mats (not shown) suspended in the cabinet 10 adjacent the louvered side walls 13 of the latter, there being mounted within the cabinet a conventional blower by which the air is influenced through the mats and duct 12. The cabinet 10 is usually suspended by chains 14 connected at one end to the top of the cooler cabinet at their opposite ends to the wall of the building above the window 11 or on each side thereof. The chains 14 are adjustable in length by turnbuckles 15. Any suitable means, such as threaded rods or bolts 16 may be used for adjustably factureis. However, the present invention anticipates the water trough and its adjusting means which will be fully explained in the following description.

Each of the three walls 13 of the cabinet 10 is provided with vertical rows of horizontally spaced louvers 17. These rows of louvers terminate short of the tops of the walls, as illustrated in Figure 2, leaving a blank area 18 adjacent to the tops of the sides or walls 13 and coextensive in width thereof. Behind these wall areas 18 are mounted water distributing troughs 19.

Each trough 19 is fabricated from sheet metal and formed into a substantially V-shape, as shown, having closed ends 20. Along either side of the trough, but preferably on the side 21 thereof adjacent the cabinet wall 13, there is provided a horizontal row of water outlet or drainage openings. Each opening is in the form of a slot 22 which extends upwardly from a dimple 23 pressed inwardly from the trough wall 21. This arrangement breaks surface tension and insures uninterrupted flow of water through the openings at all times.

Each of the cabinet walls 13 has an inwardly turned,

horizontal flange 24 along its upper edge and each flange 24 has a slot 25 midway between its ends adjacent the wall 13. This slot receives a tab 26 formed integrally with the top edge of a bracket 27 constituting a part of the the is spot welded thereto. The bracket breaks outwardly at V 29 and downwardly at 30 into vertical parallelism with the panel 13. A speed nut 31 in the form of a U-shaped member straddles the lower edge of the portion 30 of the bracket 27 and has matching holes 32 and 33 which are in register with a hole 34 in the bracket portion 30 and a horizontal slot 35 in the panel 13.

A set screw 36 extends freely through the slot 35 of the panel 13, the hole 33 in one leg of the speed nut 31, the hole 34 in the bracket portion 30 and the rear end of the set screw is threaded in the hole 32 in the inner leg of the speed nut 31.

The trough 19 actually pivots about the point where the I sides of the tab 26 and the horizontal slot 35 in the panel. When the trough is made level, the screw 36 is turned, thereby clamping together the legs of the speed nut 31, the bracket portlon'30 and the panel 13 to preclude displacement of the trough from adjusted position.

In Figure 2, the dotted lines above the plane of the trough indicate tilted positions of the latter on each side of the centrally located fulcrum point. To provide for manual adjusting of the trough, the panel 13 has an oblique slot 37 opposite one or each end of the trough 19. Actually, only one such slot is required but two are shown. To each end of the trough is spot welded an angular plate 38 and to the angle 39 of the plate is welded a pin 40 which extends outwardly through the slot 37 in the panel 13. The slot 37 is angled to compensate for tilting displacement of the ends of the trough as the latter is oscillated about the axis afforded through the engagement of the tab 26 in the slot 25. After loosening the set screw 36, the trough is brought into level position by simply pushing up or down on the pin 40 and then, by holding the pin in the position it is in when the trough is leveled, the set screw is tightened to secure the trough in the level position, thus to insure uniformity in water flow Patented Feb. 4, less 3 L- into the filter mats of the cooler. If desired, a pin corre spondirig to the pin'40'inay be similarly attached to the angle of the opposite end plate 38 and engaged in the slot 41 in.thegside.of panel 13-,oppositetthegslote 3 7.--(Eig urec 1), although dual slots andpins are not gener-allyi'heces sary.

Therearevtwoeplaces whereptiltirigt displacement of the. trough 'isIimited, one being winfangular...shoulders awe-a of the, bracket 27, receding romeaeh.. sid,e :of the, tah26 (Figure 2) while the othereis in the length ere-ma mas in panel 13 which .lirnitsrthe travel of thelsetescrew 36. Thisflis actuallyf'whe'rethe degree of tiltis controlled.

Leveling ,ofi theltwateritroughs of evaporative coolers has heretofore been accomplished by yieldinglyo pivot; ally securingsthe .trough at oneend-to a wall -of the. cooler. cabinet -permitting the opposite endto moveina vertical plane, with provision for securing the movable endnof their trough, when, adjustment-has been accomplished. The;- advantages of. center. adjustment of the; trough are rtthate leveling of the latter is morelpositive and requiressbute halfthe-end displacement necessary for: the adjustment en the endsuspended troughs, which, in certain cases can-:* not befmoved sufiicientlyffor' leveling, particularlywhere the louvers in the. wall panels extend above .thebottom of thetrough .whi ch-requircsor should; require,. tha t.-:thew

topsE of. the1filter mats extend equally; as high, leaving little'space for troughadju'stment. v In the present invention sufiicientlspace is provided,-by"virtue ofithe' blankespace 1.8; above 1 the r louvers 17 and the -rnats rfor router-El stricte'd adjustment of theltroughil9malthough, "as stat'ed,} it requires only. half the movement to ,level -thi s.--trough as is necessaryto. level a trough mounted at one (end, I

In FigiireA is shown a troughtand adjusting meafis.ide1it-lvv tical to that shown in Figures 1 to 3except jorjthl fati. that instead of the pivotal connection aifo'r'ded bvithe-Ita 26 andslot 25,1 the trough ;-is pivotally SuspendedFbyEmeanse' of a rivet; stud or machine screw-42,7the,lattereheirigI shown in the drawing. X

Aside 'from the reference numeral ..42Z "denoting ,-thejv screw, the same\ reference numeralsare usedin 1-?igi1z:e. .4f? to denote identical corresponding parts in vFigures l-,to.,3,=

In', the modified. form of pivotal 'suspensionsfor'lthe; trough 19, "theinturned flanges 24l'at thetops'v-oftheiwalle panels. 13 are, dispensed. wit-h Kandethe. pivotmerhberJdn-I screw 425is extended through .matcHingQapertureSQin thel tab 26 andflianel 1 31and" i securedjas t by thfcadin'g th'e f" aperture in, thefi'panel'," byI'so1d6riiig .peefirigjdr by, any: other means,"dependin'g on the nature of thd'pivotnierif ber 42. H l

The 'tro'ugh 19i's adjusfedliiyits rotatioiiiibofit pivot 5 member '42,- by means fer ith pinlm, penaitteeteyfthe horizontalfslot' 35througt1 whieh theisetscrew'fitiliexteufd and whichentersflinatching' holes 33 3116.32 irifthe' flgs'o by the speed nm or equivalenti einheiialfandithihble 3145-" of the portion gsoferithefbreeket ,rz9it"rhfe'l1serewiszi :isi

threadedinto 'the'hole132 jet fiemembtef SL henc', treat;

ening of thescrew will hring the legs of the member 31,, the depending portion 30 of the bracket and the panel 13 into close union to secure the trough in adjusted position.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modification as may be construed to fall within the scope and meaning of the app'e'nded e121} is ailso;xionsirlered''tof-iiewithinthe spirit and intent of the veirtionrwhat isclaimedisze k p p v H V I 1. In "an,:eva-porative: coolera cabinet having ;a louvered"- wall, a water distributor comprising a trough lsuppor'tedat the top of said.wall for,tiltingdisplacementabout a horizontal axis" uisbe'ser'hnawy"Betweefithe"'enae'ef 'seid trough, a bracket afiixed-ttowsaid trough-:at: its midsection and having pivotal connection with said wall at its top, a set screw extending through said wall below said pivotal,.conuectioni and eng a ging -said bracket toJhold said" trough in adjusted positions andmanually operable means carried by one end of said trough and extending through; a slot inzsaidewall for-tiltingdisplacementof said troughi'f 2. In 'an evap orative coolencabinet 1 having -a wa11,,pr0 vided with elguversw terminating; ata point -spaced:below. the top pf said -wa,ll,, a water dlStI'ibuiIOrQOmPI'lSiIlg'fi trough;;disposed t-below-l the ;upper edge -of said 1 wall .in-''; wardly oftheiunlouvered ip ortion' thereof,-, a.;bracketaf-' fixed to saidntrougheat-itsmidsection-and havinga portion thereof extending aboversaid; trough and lpivotallyt ,engag: 1 ing saiduwallsadjacentiits top: edge; and adaptedeto hold 1 said trough fo rtiltingdisplacement, means belowathe'epiv- Y otai connection-between said rtrouglr and Wall fQr-cIa'mpe ingIyengaginge said hrackettouholdi saidztroughi in adjusted rpositionsrand=manually actuated means aff xed to, said {trough gand accessible exteriorly- ,of said;wall; for tilting said;,trou'g heaboutesaid pivotahconnection 3. Inan tervaporative cooler cabinetehavingealouvered; wall, a; water? distributing trough; disposedtiabovexthe; louvers; in said wall,-;a=tbracket aifixed- :to said trough :at it's: midsectijon andrhaving' a1: downlwar'dly *andtsan upwardly extending portion; means 5; attaching: said"upwardly 'ex-i tendingI'POrti-on 'to, said twall'ctoc define a fulcrum-about i which said-trough istiltabl'e;rand'means extending through said wall and engaging the downwardly exteirdifig poriioii of said-'bracketito hold said'ftrough i'n adjii's'ted" posfi'ticin'se 4. The s tructurerofi claim-=33 'and' 'a' pin mattered-"en '5 one =end-=ef fs'aid -troi"1'gh-and engaging-a slot in said Wail" above said' louvers *t'o eire'etmdmiariiuifig displacement of said tiou'gh'about'said fulcrum;-

References eCite din the file Bi this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS: 

